Adventures in the ATL

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016 / beautyatbeard / Leave a comment

This past weekend The Beard and I headed down to Atlanta for the Atlanta Salsa Festival. I had purchased our passes with their early bird special last November so we had been looking forward to it for awhile!

After a little bit of your average pre-trip frantic prep we made it to the airport and decided to start the flight off right with Starbucks. I have a very common name, and have been fortunate enough to not encounter many misspellings, but this barista took it to a whole other level. If you’re confused, this is their version of “Jessica.”

Our flight went smooth and we settled in on the Marta Train for an hour ride to the end of line. Our hotel had a shuttle that, according to their website, only needed 5 minutes notice to come pick us up. We exited the train and called the hotel at 3:47 and were told the shuttle was in route, but it was rush hour and would take a bit longer than usual. We found a shaded bench, because it’s Atlanta and sweltering, and sat down to relax for a bit.Fast forward 45 minutes and there is no shuttle to be found. We called the hotel once more and are told they are on their way, traffic is bad, blah blah blah. At this point a group of dancers had converged next to the curb, all here for the conference and waiting on the shuttle. We called once more and receive a different story for the delay but were assured it was on it’s way. At this point it is 5:15pm. We decided enough was enough and called an Uber. This was my first time using Uber, as I don’t have much need where I live currently, and let me tell you, we loved it! Our driver picked us up in 5 minutes and we were at the hotel in 10! Shout out to Fazle our Driver!

After we checked in we decided to grab a bite to eat, opting for a restaurant at another hotel near by. Little did we know that a local university’s football team would be arriving, and attending the Alumni Party at the restaurant. Nothing like trying to enjoy a flatbread pizza and salad with your love while having fifty year olds, who peaked in college and are clinging to the good ‘ole days, drunkenly shouting in your ear for the majority of your dining experience. At least the food was good! Isn’t he handsome?!

We headed back to the hotel and nothing sounded better than a nice relaxing soak in the tub. Only problem was, we were missing the tub stopper. We called down to the front desk and were told they would send one up. After thirty minutes had passed with no tub stopper and no bath I decided I was going downstairs. The Beard always finds it amusing when I get riled up, and of course aggs me on to go get them!

Set Scene: I walk up to the receptionist in the lobby.
Me: Hi, I called over 30 minutes ago about a stopper for my bath tub and I have not received it.
Receptionist: I’m so sorry! I think he is looking for it. Actually, that’s him right here.
*Pan over to man, leaning against the desk.
Receptionist: Did you find the tub stopper?
Maintenance Man: I am looking.
Receptionist: Right now?
Maintenance Man: Yes. *Continues to lean against the desk.
Me: Well, I think it’s safe to say we can eliminate the lobby as its location. *My sarcasm takes on a life of it’s own when I am frustrated.
Maintenance Man: I will bring to you. *Starts walking off
Me: Oh no. I will go with you. *Follows him down the hallway
Maintenance Man: *Walking, repeatedly looking over his shoulder* No, I bring to you.
Me: I will wait right outside this door. *It was marked private and I wasn’t that enraged at this point to follow him into the employee only section.

I proceed to wait another fifteen minutes before he reappeared with the plug. He had to come install it, as he wasn’t sure which screw it would need and an hour later I could finally take my bath. I pushed the plug down, turned on the water and immediately realized it wasn’t getting hot. The Beard tested the temperature on the sink and found it to be scalding. So what does one do now? Ice bucket time. We started filling the tub from the sink and after it was about halfway full the hot water returned to the shower lines and it was finally bath time! I don’t have any proof, but I feel like the maintenance man might also drive the shuttle….

We cleaned up and decided to head downstairs for the dance social, that according to their facebook event was scheduled to start at 8pm only to be told that they were still setting stuff up and it would be more like 9:30ish before the performances started. While I appreciate all the hard work people put into these performances, they just really aren’t my thing so we opted to go back to our room and wait them out while watching The Big Bang Theory.

We headed back down stairs around 10:30pm thinking the performances might be close to wrapping up. Turns out we severely under estimated the amount of performances and they didn’t finish up until after midnight! So it was around 12:30am before we finally had a chance to hit the dance floor! I know lots of dancers are perfectly fine staying up all night dancing, but that is not my typical Friday evening. We like to snuggle up with a pint of ice cream and watch the Blacklist!

Saturday we spent the day taking various workshops and had a lot of fun! We learned some awesome Casino routines, brushed up on our Bachata and even learned some cool lifts! Afterwards we went to the pool where the Beard was kind enough to act as my personal raft and whisk me around the water.

From there we scheduled another Uber and headed to our favorite restaurant from our last trip to Atlanta, Alma Cocina. Our driver Winston was awesome, and we convinced him to take his wife there whenever he was in need of brownie points!

Allow me to present our Chicken Mole, smoked green beans on a bed of smashed plantains and hibiscus sorbet with a coconut cream sauce and shaved coconut. SO GOOD!

We got in more dancing Saturday evening and headed to the airport on Sunday.

In case you’re ever wondering if carrying your knitting around with you provides other uses, you are correct. I present exhibit A: Instant Pillow!

Despite the crazy time delays and coordination issues, we did have a wonderful weekend together! As always, I’m looking forward to more adventures with this amazing man!

Saturday in Shawnee

July 12, 2016 / beautyatbeard / 1 Comment

This weekend we loaded up our gear and headed down to Shawnee National Forest. After our recent foray at Red River Gorge we reevaluated our packing procedures and shed a lot of unnecessary gear lightening up our packs quite a bit. How quickly things change in 6 weeks!

Red River Gorge: Stress, prep, stress, plan, stress, pack.
Shawnee National Forest: We don’t need this, I think we have enough food, ok I’m ready!

We arrived at the park and headed over to the Garden of the Gods. Since this was a popular area we had to maneuver around other people which was tedious at times. The Beard kept saying, this is why we don’t hike with the public….

So prepare yourself for an onslaught of pictures, or if you’re too lazy to physically scroll through each one, zoom down to the bottom and watch our video montage!

And of course, we had to get some cool shots while we were here….

After our fun on the cliffs we headed deeper into the woods.

It sure was beautiful! I also captured a shot of The Beard capturing a shot of nature. Shot inception!

The forest was beautiful but for those thinking of heading out there yourselves, be warned their maps are the worst we’ve seen. Very haphazard and based on our calculations, the mileage wasn’t correct either. At one point we were stuck on a trail The Beard referred to as “Hell” because we were wading through mud and tons and tons of spiders! We decided we were NOT going back that way and ended up taking the road through the country side much to the dismay of a large herd of cows.

However, in our typical fashion we made it to the car right as nightfall hit.We survived our hike and got in 13.67 miles! As always, I love spending time together, even if it involves spiders, mud and a few more miles than anticipated!

Circle of Life

May 3, 2016May 3, 2016 / beautyatbeard / 1 Comment

Adulting is hard. There are some many things you’re supposed to do and often certain things, while well intentioned, fall by the wayside. One of those things for me is remembering to take my vitamins!

There is no worse smell to me than when you open a bottle of vitamins. It’s the most unappetizing thing. It smells fowl and I’m supposed to stick it in my mouth and quickly try and choke it down before I can taste too much of it! Yeah, that’s on the top of my to-do list…So then I tried the gummy vitamins. That’s right, nothing says grown up like fruit shaped sugar.

Then I stumbled across this machine and after doing a lot of research decided to give it a try. Best decision ever! Let me introduce you to my vitamin buddy. Tespo.

Tespo is similar to a Keurig in that it uses a pod to dispense liquid but instead of coffee this is mixing together a vitamin shot. Each disc dispenses thirty-one individual servings; enough for one month. However unlike Keurig, these vitamin discs are recyclable!

While most pills contain vitamins, they also contain unnecessary ingredients such as binding agents, fillers, flow agents, additives, artificial colors and flavors. All things I try to avoid with my clean eating approach and yet was still ingesting with my vitamins. Upon further research I learned that our bodies can only absorb roughly 20% of the vitamins in pill form. You mean I’ve been choking down these things for years only to get a slight benefit? However, in this liquid vitamin form our bodies can absorb upwards of 90%! Talk about bang for your buck!

So how does this baby work? You place the vitamin disc in the front cover. This is a women’s disc, but they also carry men’s, children’s, energy, focus and sleep. The side of the machine also has storage for multiple discs if you wanted to rotate.

Next you fill up the back with water and push the circular button. It will turn green and then tell you how many servings are left in your disc.

It will begin to spin the shot glass as it dispense the shot it’s making in order to mix the ingredients. This little cup is really cool. It has a magnetic bottom so it stays in place and has a mixer in the bottom of the cup to make sure everything is combined.

So what does it look and taste like? The women’s formula is a yellow color and tastes like a mix of tang and flintstone vitamins! Now that is the kind of adulting I can get behind! The little white specs are the vitamins that are not water soluble. They are supposed to do that, and they do not add any sort of gritty texture!

Every morning I let the dog out, walk over and push the button on my Tespo and proceed to make the bed while my vitamin shot is being made. By the time I’m done the dog is barking to come inside, he’s so impatient, and my shot is ready. Easy Peasy! The best part is the vitamin discs are on a subscription basis so my refills automatically come to me each month! I may have a tendency to forget said things if left to my own devices….

While this is great for mornings when I’m home, what about when I’m not? Tespo thought of that too. This month they are launching their Tespo on the Go System. This little baby holds the same vitamin discs but allows you to add water, shake and drink wherever you are. Mine will be covering a lot of miles as we plan to hike up the Red River Gorge, Grand Tetons and Yellowstone this summer. While vitamins are always important, getting enough nutrients while hiking is a must! I will be sending The Beard with one when he hikes the Appalachian Trail in 2017!

I don’t endorse a lot of things, and like you, people drive me crazy trying to sell stuff on social media platforms. I don’t want to attend your online party for leggings, nail stickers, energy patches or cheap jewelry! So I am not doing that! I honestly love this product, it has transformed the vitamin world for me and I wanted to share it! I got a discount code when I purchased the product to give friends and family $40 off. If you want to use it, feel free, and feel free to pass it on if you know someone interested.

Discount Code: Tespo40Jessica

https://gettespo.com

Sorta Spaghetti

May 2, 2016May 2, 2016 / beautyatbeard / 2 Comments

Do you ever have a moment where you just thank God for Netflix? That was me Friday night. Let me set the scene. Sitting in bed sipping tea, dog snuggled up at my hip, attempting to tackle a cross stitch pattern and watching episode after episode of various cooking competitions.

I don’t know about you, but when I watch TV in general it makes me hungry. Everything the characters eat I suddenly crave. Within a 30 minute span I can want tacos, pizza, pancakes etc. That’s also just a typical Tuesday…but you get the point.

So how does this relate to spaghetti? I’m getting there, just hold on a second. One of the baking shows I watched had a competition where they had to make a dessert look like a savory dish. Can you guess what that dish was? Spaghetti! See how I tied that all together? *Brushes off shoulder*

I decided that I would make The Beard & I a delicious plate of pasta on Saturday. However, I didn’t want just any ole jar of sauce! I wanted to make my own! So I started with some tasty ingredients. I like a sauce to be hearty, as in the pasta is there, but the sauce is the real meal. On the cutting board is a red onion, zucchini, eggplant and parsley.

I chopped all that up and began sauteing until slightly soft. It already smelled amazing!

Meanwhile The Beard was cooking up some delicious sage sausage for our sauce.

Next I chopped up some parsley. I was pretty excited when I found these dried oyster mushrooms at the store, so I decided to chop them up and reconstitute them in the sauce!

I added two cans of organic stewed tomatoes to the mix. I know the picture is pretty steamy but this is real time photography folks.

While my sauce was simmering away I added our gluten free spaghetti to the boiling water. We don’t eat a lot of pasta, even the gluten free kind. Following a Paleo diet doesn’t mean you substitute everything gluten free for the items you are trying to avoid. We are also big fans of using a spiralizer, but occasionally we indulge in some GF pasta.

This is where things got weird. The spaghetti was the Simple Truth Brand, which I bought at Kroger. While I have purchased many of their products I have never tried their pasta. After tossing it in the pot the water started to turn a white-ish cream color, like someone had dumped cornstarch in the mix. From there it continued to thicken and the noodles turned into a gelatinous mess! We strained the noodles and the sink filled up with noodle gravy so thick we had to get the sprayer to wash it off. Since I didn’t know what the mystery goop was we opted to forgo the spaghetti noodles! Thankfully there was a box of Penne in the pantry! Pasta party round 2!

While the pasta was boiling once more, I whipped together a chopped salad with cranberries, flax seeds and a pomegranate vinaigrette. So good!

Finally the penne was ready and cooked to perfection, thanks to The Beard, and dinner was ready!

Our hearty, savory and sorta spaghetti was delicious! In the kitchen, just as in life, you gotta roll with the punches and be happy with sorta anything!

Getting My Mojo

March 23, 2016 / beautyatbeard / Leave a comment

Last week was the first sign of warm weather to come. I took some time off work and The Beard and I decided to check out some new trails. While we haven’t necessary had terrible winter weather, we have been busy the past few months. So the last time I remember getting a good hike in was around October…don’t judge us.

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Between our two hiking treks we got in close to 15 miles and by the next day my legs were screaming, “Dear God woman, what have you done?”

I went home and began scouring my drawers for the relief of my trusted compression sleeves but to no avail. You know those items that don’t have a permanent location and every time you use them you store them some place differently? That is exactly what I do with these suckers. I believe they have been housed in every drawer I own at one time or another. However, this particular pair is neon pink so they should not escape detection. I present hikers exhibit number one.

After a good 20 minute scavenger hunt my sore legs and I gave up and proceeded to waddle over to the bed. Like any responsible adult, I promptly got on amazon and ordered new ones! Can’t beat those prime connections.

I ordered two pairs this time, in case one decides to become the next hide’n seek champ.

If you’ve never used compression sleeves before they are like a hug from heaven. The first time I used them was after a very long run. I fell asleep on the couch for several hours with my legs propped up on a few pillows. When I awoke, my legs felt so loose that when I took my first step I proceeded to face plant right there in my living room. Now, that doesn’t happen every time, I promise you. I just happen to possess a special set of skills.

So what is the difference between compression sleeves and compression socks? Socks cover your feet. I thought that was pretty obvious. I’m not a big sock fan, usually preferring to be barefoot around the house. If you’re one of those weirdos who sleep in socks you can leave, right now. My ankles and toes enjoy their freedom so the compression sleeves work great for me.

If you want to get your own pair of mojo compression sleeves, check out the link below. And no, I’m not getting anything for this endorsement, I just care about your calves.
Get My Mojo